Brisbane Bandits to host ABL Championship Series this weekend

Temporary stands have been brought in to increase the size of the Holloway Park baseball stadium in preparation for the Australian Baseball League Championship Series, in which home-town team Brisbane Bandits will take on the Adelaide Bite this weekend.

In a summer sporting landscape dominated by the A-League and cricket, the Bandits have been a sleeper hit among local sports fans.

The second game will be played on Saturday evening and the deciding third game, if required, will be played Sunday.

Bandits manager David Nilsson, who made his name as a player with MLB side Milwaukee Brewers in the 1990s, said it was the biggest weekend in the Bandits' history and huge for the sport in Brisbane.

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"For baseball this is a boost in the arm," he said.

"It's as big as I can remember and hopefully this is something that we can build on."

The Bandits finished the regular season on top of the table and earned the right to host the three-legged championship series at their Newmarket stadium.

The temporary stands have been brought in to accommodate up to 4000 people, and the Bandits expected to come close to that attendance figure each night of the series.

Bandits first base coach Adrian Lamb, who was also involved with the Windsor Royals club that called the venue home, said the revamped Holloway Field was "a thing of beauty".

"For me and a lot of people in the (Greater Brisbane League) and Brisbane baseball, Holloway Field is a very special place, especially for the members of the Windsor Royals," he said.

"To walk in there today and see the stands in the outfield, you're genuinely overwhelmed with emotion because you know this place is going to rock and I cannot wait to see it.

"I cannot wait to see the stands full, and the moment I'm really looking forward to – besides obviously the guys playing the game and getting us a win – but when everyone stands for the national anthem and it's dead quiet.

"I'm really going to take in that moment and look around the field and look at all the things we've done and how far we've come."

The Bandits play the Adelaide Bite on Friday, Saturday and, if needed, Sunday at Holloway Field. First pitch is 6pm each day.